SINGAPORE — Singapore’s latest filmic offering, That Girl In Pinafore, is a music-infused drama set in the 1990s revolving around the lives of a group of teens who want to live out their dreams.

After flunking his ‘O’ Level exams, Jiaming (played by Daren Tan) helps out at his parents’ pub by performing in a band with his friends. He meets May (played by Julie Tan) and, drawn together by their love for xinyao music, they form a fast friendship which soon blossoms into something more. But the course of true love never did run smooth. May’s mother wants to send her to the United States to study, and the pair finds that they have to answer some difficult questions about who they are and what they want to be.

Thankfully, the audience doesn’t have to do any of that. Directed by Chai Yee Wei, this movie doesn’t pretend to be more than what it is – a teen romance set amidst a backdrop of Singapore music. There are comedic moments, there are romantic moments, but thankfully, there aren’t any over-the-top melodramatic moments that we’ve become accustomed to in our Singapore movies. Chai manages to keep an even keel with the pacing, even though some moments may come across as tacky or cheesy at first (but hey, it’s teenage love - it’s always cheesy), and he redeems himself by not offering the typical all-neat ending.

Music buffs will be pleased to note that this movie celebrates the heritage of Singapore music, in particular xin yao music, much in the same way Royston Tan celebrated getai in 881. The songs here include Everlasting Friendship, Under Starry Skies, Step By Step, The Sparrow Song and a particularly delightful version of Di Tanjong Katong – all of which are quite nicely performed by the stars of the movie.

Of course, detractors might pick on anachronisms and draw comparisons to similar Hollywood offerings such as the High School Musical series or Glee. But I would daresay The Girl In Pinafore goes one better than those.

(PG, 110 minutes)